Minnesota Gophers 2020 recruiting class

Published Dec. 18, 2019 5:31 p.m. ET

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Itayvion Brown, OLB (Lutheran North; St. Louis)

Four-star recruit by 247 Sports and Rivals. … Three-star recruit by ESPN. … Ranked as the 17th-best OLB in the nation by Rivals. … Named first team All-State in Missouri in 2018 and 2019. … Also had offers to LSU and Florida State. … Registered 105 tackles and seven sacks as a senior.

 

Jaqwondis Burns, LB (IMG Academy; Bradenton, Fla.)

Three-star recruit by 247 Sports, ESPN and Rivals. … Georgia native. … Played senior year at IMG Academy. … Committed to Ole Miss in early December, then decommitted and flipped decision to Minnesota. … Joins Daniel Faalele, Curtis Dunlap and Zack Annexstad as recent Gophers recruits from IMG Academy.

 

Mark Crawford, P (Perth West, Australia)

Right-footed punter. ... Trains in Melbourne with Prokick Australia. ... Played Australian Rule’s Football in the winter until he was 17 and then played cricket in the summer until he was 22.

 

Michael Dixon, S (Statesboro HS; Statesboro, Ga.)

Three-star recruit by 247 Sports, ESPN and Rivals. … 6-foot-1, 186 pounds. Ran a 4.51 40-yard dash. … Three-time All-Region honoree. … Recorded 47 tackles, three interceptions (two returned for touchdowns) and six pass breakups. … Rodney Smith, Shannon Brooks and Rashod Bateman are a few recent impact Gophers players recruited from Georgia.

 

Abner Dubar, S (Anna HS; Anna, Texas)

Three-star recruit by 247 Sports, ESPN and Rivals. … 6-1, 175 pounds. … Tallied 105 career tackles, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and six passes breakups. … Rushed for 1,505 yards and 13 touchdowns.

 

Douglas Emilien, WR (American Heritage HS; Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.)

Three-star recruit by 247 Sports, ESPN and Rivals. … Caught 36 passes for 595 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior. … Logged 602 receiving yards and five touchdowns as a junior.

 

Aireontae Ersey, OT (Ruskin HS; Kansas City)

Three-star recruit by 247 Sports, ESPN and Rivals. … 6-5, 300 pounds. … Ranked as the No. 71 offensive tackle in the nation. … Started playing football as a junior in high school.

 

Lucas Finnessy, OLB (Hamilton HS; Sussex, Wisc.)

Three-star recruit by 247 Sports, ESPN and Rivals. … 6-3, 230 pounds. … Two-time Wisconsin Football Coaches Association All-State Team selection. … 25 receptions, 314 yards and six touchdowns as a senior. As a junior, tallied six interceptions in 11 games. … Four-year starter in basketball.

 

Miles Fleming, ATH (Bishop Hartley HS; Columbus, Ohio)

Three-star recruit by 247 Sports, ESPN and Rivals. … 36th-ranked recruit in Ohio by Rivals. Played quarterback and cornerback. … Registered 2,130 passing yards and 16 touchdowns, as well as 1,701 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. … Two-time All-District, All-Region and All-State honoree. … Originally committed to Miami (Ohio).

 

Jalen Glaze, CB (Lincoln HS; Tallahassee, Fla.)

Three-star recruit by 247 Sports, ESPN and Rivals. … Ranked as the 34th-best safety in the nation by ESPN. … Recorded 27 tackles, one sack, one blocked punt and returned one interception for a touchdown as a senior.

 

Austin Henderson, TE (Ensworth; Nashville)

Three-star recruit by 247 Sports, ESPN and Rivals. … Tallied 21 receptions and 232 yards to help Ensworth High School to the Tennessee Division II Class 3A state semifinals as a senior.

 

Daniel Jackson, WR (Bishop Miege; Mission, Kan.)

Four-star recruit by ESPN, 247 Sports. … Three-star recruit by Rivals. … Consensus No. 2 recruit from Kansas. … Led Bishop Miege to sixth straight state title as a senior. … Logged 74 catches for 1,511 yards and 27 touchdowns as a senior. … 6-0, 200 pounds.

 

Jah Joyner, DL (Danbury; Danbury, Conn.)

Three-star recruit by 247 Sports, ESPN and Rivals. ... Tallied 13 sacks and 32 tackles in eight games as a senior. ... Named to 2019 Connecticut High School Football Coaches Association All-State Top-26 Team.

 

Dragan Kesich, K (Oak Creek; Oak Creek, Wis.)

No. 7 ranked kicker in the country by Kohl’s Kicking Camp. … Earned 2019 All-State honors as a kicker and punter. … Finished high school with 96% of his kickoffs resulting in a touchback.

 

Gage Keys, DE (Hilliard Davidson HS; Hilliard, Ohio)

Three-star recruit by 247 Sports, ESPN and Rivals. … 6-5, 255 pounds. … Recorded 60 tackles and 20 tackles for loss as a senior. … 2019 Ohio Under Armour All-America Camp attendee.

 

Melle Kreuder, DE (Munich, Germany)

Top recruit out of Germany. … Named the 2017 Defensive Player of the Year for the Rangers A-Youth team. … Recorded an unofficial broad jump of 10-2 and a vertical of 37 inches as a defensive lineman.

 

Tyrell Lawrence, OT (Clearwater Academy International; Clearwater, Fla.)

Three-star recruit by 247 Sports, ESPN and Rivals. … A native of Mississauga, Ontario. … Formerly played for Clarkson Football North in Ontario. … Posted 16 tackles and two sacks in six games as a senior.

 

Martes Lewis, OT (Merrillville HS; Merrillville, Ind.)

Three-star recruit by 247 Sports, ESPN and Rivals. … 6-7, 345 pounds. … Named to the Indiana Football Coaches Association Top 50 All-State team. … State qualifier in shot put in 2019.

 

Cody Lindenberg, OLB (Anoka Senior HS)

Three-star recruit by 247 Sports, ESPN and Rivals. … 10th-ranked Minnesota player by 247 Sports. … 6-2, 205 pounds. … Attended the opening day of TCF Bank Stadium as a fan. … Named to the Minnesota Vikings All-State team. … Led Anoka with 30 receptions for 506 yards and four touchdowns as a senior.

 

Jalen Logan-Redding, DE (Rock Bridge HS, Columbia, Mo.)

Three-star recruit by 247 Sports, ESPN and Rivals. … 6-4, 250 pounds. … Recorded 78 tackles and 10 sacks and was named second team All-State as a senior. … Racked up 18 sacks in final two seasons. … Flipped commitment from Missouri.

 

Jonathan Mann, WR (Rosemount Senior HS)

Three-star recruit by 247 Sports, ESPN and Rivals. Fifth-ranked Minnesota player by 247 Sports. … 6-3, 205 pounds. … Caught 31 passes for 719 yards and nine touchdowns as a senior. … Combined for five kickoff/punt returns for a touchdown in his high school career. … Was the first player to commit to the Class of 2020. … Logged nearly 1,800 total yards and 20 touchdowns in junior season.

 

Victor Pless, ATH (Harrison HS; Kennesaw, Ga.)

Three-star recruit by 247 Sports, ESPN and Rivals. … 5-10, 175. … Totaled 44 tackles, four interceptions and one touchdown as a senior. As a junior, recorded three interceptions and 30 tackles. … Named to Class 6A Defensive All-Region First Team in 2018 and 2019.

 

Ali Saad, DT (Dearborn HS Dearborn, Mich.)

Three-star recruit by 247 Sports, ESPN and Rivals. … 6-3, 260. … Ranked as the No. 76 defensive tackle in the nation by 247 Sports. … Racked up 141 tackles and 22 tackles for loss in high school career.

 

Wyatt Schroeder, TE (St. Francis; Saint Francis, Minn.) 

Two-star recruit by 247 Sports, ESPN and Rivals. ... Played in the 2019 Minnesota Football Showcase. ... Set school records at St. Francis for receptions, yards and receptions in a season. ... Named to the North Central All-District team in 2018 and 2019.

 

Danny Striggow, DE (Orono Senior HS)

Three-star recruit by 247 Sports, ESPN and Rivals. Ranked as the eighth-best high school player in Minnesota by 247 Sports. … 6-4, 220 pounds. … Earned All-State and Academic All-State honors in 2019. … Finished with 46 tackles including eight for loss and added 468 rushing yards, five rushing touchdowns and 598 all-purpose yards as a senior. … Had 68 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, two fumble recoveries and one interception as a junior. … Won an individual championship in 220-pound weight class of the 2019 Class 2A state wrestling tournament.

 

Ky Thomas, RB (Topeka HS; Topeka, Kan.)

Four-star recruit by 247 Sports. … Three-star recruit by ESPN and Rivals. Ranked as the 25th-best running back in the nation by 247 Sports. … Compiled 7,703 rushing yards, which ranks second all-time in Kansas. … Also scored 95 career touchdowns. … Named the 2019 Gatorade Athlete of the Year in Kansas.

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